Chile is Undergoing a Massive Solar Boom

The sun is our most abundant and cleanest source of energy, so the faster we harness it, the sooner we'll be on our way to having a truly sustainable civilization. That's why it's so great to see solar power projects popping up all around the world, and this at an increasing rate, and with bigger and bigger projects. Chile is a good example of this new solar boom: The Centro de Energías Renovables (CER, or or Renewable Energy Center) reports that November of last year, more than 3.1 gigawatts of solar energy projects were approved, and that another 908 megawatts were waiting for approval. That's a huge amount, especially for a single year!

For all renewable energy projects (hydro, wind, biomass, solar, and geothermal), the CER counts 6.7 GW of renewable energy projects approved in Chile, and another 3.8 GW in the wings.

Roughly 1.27 GW spanning 10 projects was added in November, an increase of 530 MW over the previous month.Chile could emerge as one of the leaders in the Latin American/Caribbean market for renewable energy, especially solar PV (particularly ground-mount), thanks to a combination of net metering, Renewable Portfolio Standards and other policies. (source)

While Chile's a great place for solar (the Atacama Desert has some of the highest levels of solar potential in the world), wind power is also doing well. 3.25 gigawatts have been approved and 2.7 extra gigawatts are waiting for approval.